How It All Began
by auraspirit157
Summary: Little one-shot on how Damian and Aiden ended up as partners. (Contains swearing above rating)


It wasn't till around two in the morning when Damien decided that he couldn't sleep. He blamed it on the constant barrage of Chicago traffic, although it could have been all that coffee he had consumed just a couple hours ago. The latter being far more likely.

He rolled out of bed, grumbling at the effort. He hated being so jittery, especially when the amount of hours he had gotten of sleep had been pitiful at best. Then again, this was his favorite time to snoop about his apartment building. There were some rather unique individuals that lived there and he got bored easily.

He could initially tell just from the plethora of noises he heard. His walls was relatively quiet despite the thinness but the floors and ceilings were a different story. The couple that lived above him always believed they should get better acquainted in the wee hours of the morning. And some of other individuals below him made up just as much as they severed their ties. He couldn't count how many times Chris broke up with Katie or in some cases the other way around. There was a woman a couple doors down that constantly asked him for random cooking ingredients despite the numerous times he explained that he lived on the diet of a college student; that being TV dinners and packed ready-to-cook noodles, possibly wine if he was feeling particularly classy.

However, even with these events he found his apartment to be particularly quiet, save the humming of hard drives and the occasional sparky light from his computer monitors.

The hacker sits in a wheeled office chair, looking idly at one of his many laptops. He muttered blankly to himself, "No death threats? Dammit," He rolled across the room to another set of screens, "Those are my favorite."

Typing quickly, he hacked into the security cameras. His apartment was rigged to all Hell, but no one would notice that. He skipped the footage of the couple above him, knowing full and well how uncomfortable he would get from even seeing half a frame. He continuously switched through each camera set, most residents still being asleep. Briefly he saw one room getting robbed. Not his problem.

His monotonous invasion of privacy was interrupted by a screeching grid of the computer next to him, followed by a contrastingly musical four dings.

"I fucking hate that sound," Damien groaned, "Who is it this time?" He turned toward the third computer. The "hacker" career was becoming increasingly popular due to the sudden burst of new technology. That made his job a bit more tedious at points with all the hilarious attempts at thievery. Most gave up after his second firewall; he had a lot of firewalls.

He watched the warning meter crawl slowly upward in percentage in a rather bored state, leaning back as it moves above a quarter.

"You can do it," Damien mumbled, his hands still jittering from the caffeine, "I believe in you. You can get about fifty percent." That was the last thing he believed, but being sarcastic to himself made him more immune to the sarcasm of others.

He supposed he should just track the invader, however, he always waited to see how far they got. Most usually faded away close to fifty percent anyway, stuck in the endless array of glitches and interludes.

Although, this person seemed different.

The hacker watched his screen for a good half an hour. Whoever the person was, despite the ridiculous periods of dead progress, seemed determined to get through. This was an immediate red flag. It usually meant the person was an actual hacker and not some kid trying to be funny.

He watched the meter pass fifty percent, sighing and speaking quietly, "Fine. You've got my attention." He typed in a few commands, tracking the invader rather quickly within a parking garage just down the block.

Parking garages. He hated them, especially when trying to find someone. He sighs, jamming the signal as he stands. The very idea of going outside filled him with agitation, but going out in the _cold _gave him more of a reasoning to bring his shotgun instead of a pistol. He pulls the weapon from behind the refrigerator as he passed through the kitchen. Inspectors never checked there.

"This better be good…" Damien grumbled, plucking a coat from the floor as he goes out into the hall. Maybe the invader would bleed money by some unnatural phenomenon. He could care less at that point, it was freezing and far too early in the morning. He left the apartment, ignoring the unfriendly greeting from the winter wind.

The parking garage was smaller than most, thankfully. He slips up the stairs, hiding the gun in his jacket. There was not point on scaring whoever it was, if he could be scared. Damien wasn't banking on being intimidating in presence, he wasn't in any state of physical or mental activeness. There was a part of him that wanted that sort of persona, it could get him into far more intriguing networks.

When he reached the roof of the structure he didn't exactly expect to find his hacker straight ahead of him.

It was certainly a sight to see: a figure curled at the corner of the platform, surrounded by technology. Two laptops, a couple routers, and what looked like a space heater that wasn't even on. The figure was definitely young, a Chicago Bulls cap shadowing his eyes as he stared down at the screen. His second computer was flashing through some coding that Damien couldn't read from his distance, but it was almost as if the kid was completely ignoring that one. That, and the ridiculous temperature, the hacker was surprised the kid's network was even functioning, hell, that the man himself was functioning. He sat there like it wasn't the middle of the winter, captivated in what he was doing.

Damien walked closer, taking advantage of the stranger's obliviousness. He stopped a couple of strides from him. The kid's face was covered in a thin, winter scarf. It was either a poor attempt to hide his identity or an even poorer attempt of keeping the cold away. Most likely both.

The older man put his hands in his pockets, leaning over to look at the unobserved laptop. There was a bar frozen around sixty percent. He looked back at the kid, still typing away.

Damien sighed, "You know. I find it funny how some people get so…absorbed in their work that they don't bother noticing what is around them."

The stranger stopped his typing, not even turning his head before slamming the computer closed, swiping everything into a bag faster than Damien through humanly possible. He barely got the bag over his shoulder before swinging off the ledge straight behind him.

Damien ran to the edge, seeing the kid clung to the side of a lift. He jumps off, rolling stylishly over a dumpster and onto the snowy sidewalk, bolting down the street right when his feet graze the pavement.

The hacker scoffed, jumping onto the lift, "You're going to be _that _kind of runner then. Fucking brilliant."

He gave chase despite getting down from the garage in a much less showy manner. The kid ran fast for carrying several expensive computers on him. He saw him ahead jumping over a fence and into an alley. Damien stopped in his tracks, turning back and down the other block, hoping to cut him off.

He was halfway down the alley when he sees the kid cross ahead before being viciously knocked back by some force, rolling back in the snow. Three shadows bolt from the passage, beginning to back him into a corner.

"That was unexpected," Damien mumbled, walking slow and deliberate before crouching behind a pile of wood platforms. The kid must have had some enemies if he was ambushed like that. His eyes darted near him as the kid's bag was tossed in the snow near his hiding spot.

"Don't let the fucker run," One man spoke, his feet crunching on the icy asphalt.

"He's not running," another said, sounding very amused.

Damien slowly peeked over his spot. The kid was surrounded, the worn scarf ripped away from him. He watched each man with a stone-cold stare, unintimidated. The older man reached over, snatching the bag up and pulling it over.

"You think we wouldn't have found you?" he heard the first man speak as Damien inspected the first laptop. There was only silence in response to the question, in which he smirked at. The strong, silent type then. Or, at least trying to be.

He looked back at the event, seeing that the first man had shoved the kid against the wall. He stood close, in his space. It was a common tactic, but Damien chuckles quietly.

"You're not taking any of this shit…are you?" He whispered as he observed the kid's continuous silence.

"What's the matter with you? Suddenly can't talk?" The first man pulls out a pistol, the point touching the kid's forehead, "Wanna talk now? Tell me not to kill you."

Damien watched, his curiosity growing uncontrollable. He got what he came for, he had the kid's bag; he could just walk away. Then again, the kid was an interesting beast, the way he stared down a gun in his face like it was a minor inconvenience in his day. He needed a beast like that.

He heard a curse, looking back over the first man was wiping away something on his face. It took only a second to realize that the kid probably spat at him. The second man grabs the kid's arms before what seemed like his attempt to run. However, it looked more like the kid was going to punch him. The first man turns, swiftly slamming his fist into the kid's stomach.

Damien looked back at the exit, sighing and speaking to himself, "The things I do for my damn curiosity." He opens one of the kid's laptops, beginning to whistle quietly as he hacks through the area. He plunged the area into darkness faster than his usual time.

"What the fuck-" He heard one of them shout before being harshly cut off.

Damian stood as the lights returned to life. He turned, seeing the kid slamming a thug in the head with a baton. He dodges the second throwing a punch, grabbing his arm and slamming the baton into it. The man barely lets out a scream when he's appropriately silenced as well. The final stood, staring at the display. The kid picked up one of the fallen pistols, pointing it back at the enemy. There was a cold, emotionless smile on his face, "Tell me not to kill you."

The man's eyes went wide, taking no time to book it back down the alley. Damien waits for the kid to toss the gun off before stepping out, "That was a nice show you put on there."

The kid turned to him, keeping the same expression, "That's my laptop."

Damien's eyes wandered back to the computer he was still holding, "Yeah, it is. Your point being?"

Confused by the tactics, he stepped forward, "Give it back…and my bag." His voice was low and gravelly, the kind of voice you expect to hear off a scarred face like his. There was something burning at the back of his blank expression that Damien couldn't quite describe. Or really cared about.

The older man slammed the computer closed, "You know I just saved your ass there."

"What are you…?" He trailed off, looking at the lights and back at him, "That was you?"

Damien smirked, "What's your name, kid?"

"What's yours?" He asked back defensively.

"Damien." He was pretty sure the stranger was surprised he actually said his name. It was the first amount of expression he had seen from him. Damien continued while stepping back to retrieve his bag, "You were stealing my shit a little bit ago. You got pretty far. Ever tried using that for something more useful?"

The kid was silent in response.

Damien rolled his eyes, stuffing the laptop in the bag, "You have some skill, kid. I can teach you what you're lacking, if you help me in return."

Again, there is silence.

Perhaps this was a lost cause. Damien tossed the bag at his feet, speaking with a shrug, "Or you could leave. Just a suggestion, considering those jackasses would have crippled you without my help." He turned away, slipping his hands back in his pockets, forgetting for a moment how cold it was.

He was halfway down the alley when he heard rapidly crunching snow skitter to a stop beside him. He looked over, the stranger now matching his stride, his hat shadowing his eyes, his scarf picked up and wrapped back around him.

"It's Aiden," He spoke without looking at the man, "And don't make me shoot you in the head."

Damien smirked again, "I can't make any promises there, kid."

_**[Hack]_4820_Location Unknown_{Pearce}_Where-The-Good-Times-Have-Gone**_

Nicole Pearce shifts in her chair, her eyes trained on the concrete floor. She tries not to concentrate on the worst of what the man in front of her just spoke of. It is hard, considering that everything sounded like the worst. Aiden. Her big brother. She wishes that it wasn't true that he was involved in so much without her knowing. But, the horrible feeling of knowing how wrong she was stabbed through any sliver of ignorant hope.

Nicole looks up at her captor, his name was Damien. Aiden had told her the last time they spoke to stay away from him. She thought it to be good advice, the man rarely looked at her when he came into the room, as if her being there was a means to an end. Yet, this time he had lingered, deciding her to grace her with the story of how he and her brother met.

"That's about it. Pretty humble beginning if I would say so myself."

Most of the time she didn't reply when he spoke; she didn't want anything to do with him. This was only until he began telling her how it all started between him and Aiden. She couldn't help but show she was listening. Now that the story was done, she found Damien more confusing than ever. He is no doubt a horrible, selfish human being.

But what did that make Aiden?

Damien watches her, laughing slightly with a shake of his head, "I'm starting to think you aren't his sister."

The sister stares back, clearing her throat, "What do you mean?"

"I mean I've never seen two people so different that are still related. It's almost hilarious, actually," He leans back in his chair, "I'm starting to think he really is an alien."

"Then are you one as well?" Nicole asks, quickly defending her brother, although not as strongly as she would have liked.

Damien looks away, almost as if trying to grasp something that wasn't there, "Maybe. Then again. I am curious about something," He looks back at her, "Who is the bad guy again?"

_You. _

That is what she wants to say, the word was formed immediately in her mind but she couldn't get herself to speak.

"There's a lot he hasn't told me," Nicole decides to say, despite not completely answering the question, "But he's still my brother. I trust him. But you…you're different."

"How? Because of this?" He gestures to the area around them, "This only happened because Pearce shut me out. _This _could have been avoided. But your brother…" he laughs a little, "He can't be controlled by anyone. He doesn't listen to anyone and never will."

"That's not true," Nicole's voice is surprisingly defensive.

"You're too understanding for your own good," Damien says with narrowed eyes, "Everything is my fault, right? I fucked up the job, I probably killed your daughter too."

His mention of Lena suddenly infuriates her to no end, "Don't bring her into this." She snaps, surprising herself with the amount of venom in her voice, "That was an accident-"

"Oh, no it was _not." _He chuckles, pinching the bridge of his nose, "He hasn't told you shit, has he? Well, I guess I would expect as much. He wants to protect you, no matter what."

Nicole watches him with concerned curiosity, then annoyance, "What does she have to do with anything?"

He stops laughing, looking at her steadily. The crippled man lacked the look and demeanor of a criminal mastermind. At least, any one that Nicole had seen. He sighs heavily, "It's the reason he has done any of this. His niece; your daughter, died because someone put a hit on him, on us." He looks at his hands, cracking the knuckles, "Do you really think that Aiden, of all people, would just 'lose control' of a car?"

She thinks about this, looking at the floor. It didn't make that much sense, did it? Then again, he could be lying, trying to get her sympathy in the situation. She looks back at him with crossed arms, "You're right, it doesn't make sense, and I don't like the fact that Aiden is still caught up with it. But you know what?" she pauses, some part of her not wanting to defend her older brother, "He did a lot of bad things but it's _always _about family. I don't like it, but I'll follow him if he thinks what he's doing is right."

Damian's expression darkens, "Oh yeah? You think he's been doing the right thing this whole time?"

"I do." Nicole maintains her stubborn confidence in her brother's actions, "I don't know much about you, but he must have blown you off for good reason."

"_I suffered too!" _the sudden rise in Damian's voice makes Nicole jump. He stands, slightly unstable on his crippled leg, "You think I didn't feel bad afterward the Merlaut? You think that after I heard about Lena's death that I didn't care? I did! I fucking felt for him! But you know what? I suffered too! We _both fucked up! _That's why your daughter's dead, and I can never use my leg again, because Pearce didn't stand by me!"

He calms down almost as so as he became angry, though he clenched his fists. He felt betrayed, Nicole could see that. She watches him for a second before speaking words she didn't think she'd say, "I'm sorry. I don't know…I don't really know what happened, exactly." Her eyes narrow, "But Aiden suffered at the same time you did, right? He's never been the best as showing emotion. I mean, how is he supposed to know that you feel bad?" She couldn't imagine why she was trying to get all psychological with the man, but it was the only thing she could think to do.

"You think I didn't try? I'm preaching to the choir though." He turns away, suddenly chuckling again, "You shouldn't follow him anywhere, really. You'll end up where you don't belong."

She watches him leave without another word, he head trying to decide whose side she was on at this point. Even more confused than she was before, she pulls her legs up and hugs her knees, wondering just how much her big brother had kept from her.

And how much she was willing to forgive him for.

**I was curious as to how Damian and Aiden ended up meeting, so I wrote this in honor of that. However, I really wanted to somewhat share my opinion on Damian as a villain. I honestly didn't think he had to be one in the game. Part of that was because of Aiden lacking character, but the other was because the narrative didn't give me enough of a reason to hate him. His actions were **_**far**_** to justified for me to really want him dead at the end. **

**Anywhos, R&R my readers! **

**Ta-ta :D**


End file.
